Cop, civilian killed in Thailand
— AFP reports: “SUSPECTED Islamic militants have shot dead two men, including a police officer, in the restive Thai south, police said on Saturday.”
— “A 55-year-old sub-lieutenant, who worked at a police station in Pattani province, was killed on Friday in a drive-by shooting as he left a mosque after prayers, they said.”
— “Also in Pattani, a 51-year-old Buddhist man was shot dead in another drive-by shooting earlier on Friday.”
— “A bloody separatist insurgency has gripped Thailand’s Muslim-majority southern provinces, bordering Malaysia, for the past five years. So far it has claimed more than 3,900 lives.”
— “The shadowy militants, who have never publicly stated their goals, target Muslims and Buddhists alike and both civilians and members of the security forces.”